Prior to Budget launch, the communist leader Mr. Sitaram Yechury was asked what was his advice for the Finance Minister Mr. Pranab Mukerjee. Mr. Sitaram Yechury says that Mr. Pranab Mukerjee must have Mahatma Gandhi’s mantra as his talisman and that was whatever decision he takes he must ask himself the question how does it benefit the poorest of the poor. He also said that the government must collect the tax dues slated to come from the corporates, but which they had foregone to the tune of 2.2 lac crores in the last 2 years. These were not additional tax levies but ones required to be paid by the highly profitable corporate companies, but which they had lobbied or bribed the people in power into writing them off. Incidentally, these write offs will not come as news headlines like farm subsidy, food subsidy or Himalayan lies like fuel or LPG subsidy. They will be well hidden inside sheaf of budget papers, will hardly appear more than a few lines and will be couched in technical jargon that only economists and accountants understand. From the Budget 2011, we do understand that true to the culture of Sonia’s Congress, Mr. Pranab Mukerjee did ask himself the question but instead of the poorest of the poor he asked himself how his Budget will benefit the richest of the rich.

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